Bottle-washing machinery.



'PATBNTED MAY14, 1907.

. B. T. DIXON.

BOTTLE WASHING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1006.

I IVVEIVT P M,\7M/4law 1 r'A/Ess Es UNITED STATES EDWARD TRAVERS DIXON, OF SOUTHAM' PTON, ENGLANDL V l PATENT orrion' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14,1907.

Application filed May 25.1906. Serial No. 318,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, EDWARD TRAVERS DIXON, a subject of the King of 'Great Britain, residing at Woolston, Southampton, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Washing Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a detail of the construction of bottle washing machines.

In certain types of such machines a hollow brush spindle, having bristles secured at one end in such a way that their points can be thrust to make contact with the bottom of the bottle and diverge to make contact with the sides, is adapted to receive a rotary and also a longitudinal motion, the longitudinal movement being employed in inserting the brush into the bottle, and removing it therefrom, and the rotary movement causing such frictional contact with the interior as to rub off, with the assistance of water admitted through the hollow spindle, any attached impurity For the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the brush, through the neck of the bottle, a sleeve surrounds the brush spindle, which sleeve, at its upper end, is large enough in its interior diameter to temporarily contain the brush prior to its insertion into the bottle.

In order to adapt itself to bottles of vari ous heights, the sleeve is required to receive a longitudinal movement so as to enable it to approach or recede from the mouth of the bottle, but this movement is of less range than that of the brush spindle.

In order that the brush spindle may derive a rotary motion, it and the sleeve above mentioned which surrounds it, are mounted within a hollow rotating shaft carried in bearings in the frame of the machine, which shaft is provided with a toothed-wheel, or other means for maintaining it in rotation and, for the purpose of effecting a connection of the brush spindle with the hollow shaft which is driven by some convenient source of power, it has hitherto been the practice to employ the sleeve as the medium for transmitting the motion. To perform this function and be able also to slide relatively to the brush spindle or to the hollow shaft, the sleeve has hitherto been formed with a feather-key or keys projecting from its external surface to engage with elongated keyways formed in the interior of the hollow shaft and also with a feather-key or keys which project inward from its interior surface to engage with an elongated key-way or key-ways formed in the brush spindle. Such a form of construction is costly and by the formation of the key-ways in the hollow shaft, this latter is reduced in strength.

The present invention overcomes these defects and, in accordance therewith, a keyway or key-ways are out only in the brush spindle, a feather-key or feather-keys. of comparatively short length being secured to one end of the hollow shaft to fit and engage with the key-way or ways in the brush spindle and drive them direct without transmitting the effort through the sleeve.

The sleeve is still employed for the purpose of housing the brush when it emerges from the bottle, so as to facilitate its re-entry thereto. The sleeve is required to be only long enough for this purpose, and it rides freely within the upper end of the hollow shaft and is also freely mounted on the brush spindle. It revolves with both to avoid friction which would tend to prevent it from doing otherwise.

By reference to the accompanying drawing, the above mentioned arrangement will be described, and in particular the details of the construction and fitting of the featherkey connection of the hollow shaft directly with the brush spindle.

In this drawing :-Figure 1 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a side view, and :Fig. 3 is an end view showing the'brush spindle in section.

In these figures, a is a hollow shaft on the central portion of the length of which, teeth a are formed by means of which it can be rotated in bearings a which are secured to the bottle washing machine and prevented from rotating by hats a formed thereon, which flats are nipped by the ends of screws inserted through that portion of the machine in which the bearings are carried.

b is the sliding sleeve adapted to house the bristles of the brush when they are withdrawn from the bottle and having an enlarged end b adapted to center itself in the mouth of the bottle, this sleeve beingfree to turn or slide relatively to both the hollow shaft and the brush spmdlec of which a portion only of the length is shown.

One end of the hollow shaft a is screw threaded on its exterior surface and a nut d is screwed thereon sufficiently far to expose a short portion of the screwed end of the shaft 0. ii transverse notch is cut in the end of the shaft a and also partly in the nut 11 across a diameter, the notch being cut through both sides of the shaft when a pair of feather-keys are adapted, as shown in the drawing, or a slotway may be made on one side only if one feather key is considered sufficient. Into this slotway or these notches the key or keys a are tightly fitted, being' shaped to replace the material removed from the shaft 0 and nut (Z and provided with an additional inwardly extending portion to fit the key way or key ways f of the spindle 0. By means of a lock nut g, screwed over the exposed end-of the shaft a, the keys 6 can thus be rigidly secured to the hollow shaft 0. To prevent inward displacement the keys 6 may be slightly enlarged on their outside ends either in thickness, as shown in Fig. 3, or in the longitudinal dimension.

I claim.

For use in bottle washing machines of the type described, a contrivance for transmitting a rotary motion to a brush, while per mitting it to undergo longitudinal movement, comprising a brush-spindle having an. elongated key-way formed therein, a power driven shaft, within which the brush-spindle is adapted to slide and fit one end thereof, and a feather-key secured to one end of the hollow shaft, a sleeve adapted to slide and turn freely relatively to the brush-spi11dle and house the bristles of the brush when the latter is withdrawn from the bottle, the hollow shaft having an annular space therein extending from one end. throughout the greater part of its length which space is adapted to receive the bristle housing sleeve and permit its free rotation and longitudinal movement therein said sleeve having one end extending beyond the hollow shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDW ARD TRAVERS DIXON.

Witnesses LEWIS WILLIAM ToRn, HENRY STEUART. 

